Page:Sermons by John-Baptist Massillon.djvu/153

 practice of  every  sensual  vice. Death has  bounded  his  crimes,  but has not  limited  his  criminal  desires. The just  and  upright  Judge* who fathoms  the  heart,  will  therefore  proportion  the  punishment to the  guilt.

What are  we  to  conclude  from  this  Discourse? That the  freethinker is  to  be  pitied  for  grounding  the  only  consolation  of  his future destiny  on  the  uncertainty  of  the  truths  of  the  gospel:  that he is  to  be  pitied  because  his  only  tranquillity  must  be  in  living without faith,  worship,  confidence,  or  God;  because  the  only  hope he' can  indulge,  is,  that  the  gospel  is  a  fable;  the  belief  of  all ages a  childish  credulity;  the  universal  opinion  of  men  a  popular error; the  first  principles  of  nature  and  reason  prejudices  of  education;  the  blood  of  so  many  martyrs,  whom  the  hopes  of  a  future state supported  under  all  their  suffering  and  tortures,  a  mere  tale concerted to  deceive  mankind;  the  conversion  of  the  world  a  human enterprise;  and  the  accomplishment  of  the  promises  a  mere stroke of  chance:  in  a  word,  that  every  thing,  the  best  established, and the  most  consistent  with  truth  and  reason  in  the  world,  must all be  false,  to  accomplish  the  only  happiness  he  can  promise  himself, and  to  save  him  from  eternal  misery.

O man! I will  point  out  to  thee  a  much  surer  way  to  render thyself tranquil,  and  to  enjoy  the  sweets  of  internal  peace. Dread that futurity  thou  forcest  thyself  to  disbelieve. Question us  no more  what  they  do  in  that  other  world  of  which  we  tell  thee;  but ask thyself,  without  ceasing,  what  thou  art  doing  in  this? Quiet thy conscience  by  the  innocency  of  thy  life,  and  not  by  the  impiety of  thy  unbelief;  give  repose  to  thy  heart  by  calling  upon God, and  not  by  doubting  that  he  pays  attention  to  thee. The peace of  the  unbeliever  is  despair. Seek, then,  thy  happiness,  not by freeing  thyself  from  the  yoke  of  faith,  but  by  tasting  how  sweet and agreeable  it  is. Follow the  maxims  it  prescribes  to  thee,  and thy reason  will  no  longer  refuse  submission  to  the  mysteries  it  commands thee  to  believe. A future  state  will  cease  to  appear  incredible to  thee  from  the  moment  thou  ceasest  to  five  like  those  who centre all  their  happiness  in  the  fleeting  moments  of  this  life. Then, far from  dreading  a  futurity,  thy  wishes  will  anticipate  it. Thou wilt sigh  for  the  arrival  of  that  happy  day,  when  the  Son  of  man, the Father  of  all  future  ages,  shall  come  to  punish  the  unbelieving, and to  conduct  thee  to  his  kingdom,  along  with  those  who  have lived on  the  earth  in  the  expectation  and  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality.

That you,  my  brethren,  may  be  partakers  of  this  eternal  felicity, is my  fervent  prayer. Amen.